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Peggy O'Mara

A Quiet Place

Choice is a Red Herring

April 13th, 2012

BUT, IT'S JUST A CHOICE.

Like cigarette smoking, breastfeeding is a public health issue, not a freedom of choice issue. Obviously, US women feel free to choose not to breastfeed; most of them do. If women were actually intimidated into breastfeeding, we would have a breastfeeding culture. Instead, we have a bottle-feeding culture in which 67% bottle feed. Only 33% of mothers breastfeed. If there is, in fact, any social pressure to breastfeed, it certainly is not effective. I would argue, that the social pressure is to bottle-feed.

CHOICE IS A FORMULA TACTIC

The tragedy is that the breastfeeding choice issue is a formula industry tactic. Here’s how it came to be. When, in December 2005, the Massachusetts legislature became the first in the US to prohibit formula sample bags in hospitals, then Governor Mitt Romney pressured the Public Health Council to rescind the ban. The council successfully resisted his pressure until he fired and replaced three members just prior to a vote on the ban; in May 2006 it was rescinded. Less than two weeks later, Romney announced a $66 million deal with Bristol-Myers, the world’s largest formula manufacturer, to build a pharmaceutical plant in Devens, Massachusetts.

In June of that year, Massachusetts state representative Helen Stanley (D-Second Essex) introduced House Bill 2257 to protect a new mother’s right to receive formula sample bags in the hospital. The wesbite, momsfeedingfreedom.com—created to oppose the Massachusetts ban—hosted a petition in support of this bill.

STEALTH WEBSITES

At the time, the website, momsfeedingfreedom.com, was registered to eNilsson, an international web consulting firm whose clients included Romney for President. Now it openly states that it “was made possible by a grant from the International Formula Council. “A mirror site, babyfeedingchoice.org, is copyrighted by the International Formula Council.

INFANT FEEDING IS POLITICAL

The US accounts for half of the $8 billion a year global formula market. The formula industry spent $50 million dollars in one year to undermine the US Health and Human Services Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign (June 2004 to April 2006). In 2006, the formula industry spent $100 million on formula advertising in the Philippines (nearly half of the Philippine Health Department’s entire annual budget of $239 million) to overturn new health department regulations that would have prevented formula companies from targeting children under two with advertising.

LOOK A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH.

It is naïve to believe that the formula industry’s distribution of formula to you is an innocent gift. A “gift” of formula is like a “gift” of a pack of cigarettes when you’re trying to quit smoking; it will undermine your resolve. The formula company has bought your name and address from the hospital, without your knowledge, and will now solicit you for sales. Do you really want this commercial intrusion into your life?

Free formula samples are a social justice issue because they involve the exploitation and objectification of women, the very issues that feminism resists. These are issues around which all women and all thinking citizens should be united. When one spouts the choice issue while, at the same time, feigning support of breastfeeding, one becomes an unwitting pawn of the formula industry. Does it really need any more help?

And, don’t forget to sign the Public Citizen petition. Nearly 13,000 have signed it so far.

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Sign the Public Citizen Petition

April 9th, 2012

Formula was directly advertised to consumers for the first time in 1989. Prior to that, formula was marketed only to health care professionals who, in turn, prescribed it to their patients. Prescription drug use has increased 71% since drugs were first advertised to consumers, and likewise, formula feeding increases when formula is marketed directly to new moms.

Most new moms want to breastfeed; 75% give it a try. While the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all US babies be exclusively breastfed for six months, only 13.3% are. One of the obstacles to continued breastfeeding for many moms is the relentless marketing of formula; nearly two-thirds of new mothers receive free formula samples. 

Most of the 3300 US maternity hospitals distribute industry sponsored sample packs of formula to new mothers, regardless of whether or not they are breastfeeding. A study in Pediatrics showed that only 28% of these hospitals were sample free in 2010, up from 14% in 2007.

Research shows that formula marketing undermines breastfeeding. Both the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have called for an end to formula samples in hospitals. The WHO International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes monitors formula advertising internationally because 5000 babies a day die from lack of breastfeeding.

In 2005, Massachusetts became the first state to ban the distribution of formula samples to new mothers in health care facilities. The Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition, co-founded by Marsha Walker, worked for eight years to get this legislation passed and also launched a national campaign, Ban the Bags, to eliminate the distribution of formula discharge samples.

The Massachusetts governor at the time was Mitt Romney, who pressured the Public Health Council to rescind the ban. The council successfully resisted his pressure until he fired and replaced three members just prior to a vote on the ban; it was rescinded in May 2006. Less than two weeks later, Romney announced a deal with Bristol-Myers Squibb, the world’s largest formula maker, to build a $66 million pharmaceutical plant in Devens, Massachusetts. Nonetheless, many Massachusett hospitals upheld the ban voluntarily.

In 2007, Portland, Oregon became the first city in the US to become “bag-free” and in November 2011, Rhode Island banned formula sample giveaways in healthcare facilities.

Public Citizen, the premier consumer advocacy group founded in 1971, has taken up the cause of banning formula sample bags. In March, the organization wrote to 2600 US hospitals urging them to discontinue the distribution of commercial infant formula discharge bags.

On April 9th, Public Citizen launched a petition demanding that Abbott, Mead Johnson and Nestle stop distributing samples of infant formula in health care facilities; over 12,000 have signed it so far. According to the petition, “the immediate end of this practice would be a crucial initial step to become fully compliant with the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes.”

Does the hospital in your town distribute free formula samples to new moms? Here’s a list of bag free hospitals and here are the hospitals that received Public Citizen‘s letter. In her Ban the Bags article for Mothering, Marsha Walker suggests a letter of complaint to the CEO and other officials of the hospital as a first step. Here’s a sample letter from Ban the Bags.

Check out the Ban the Bags Tool Kit.and other Action Ideas. If Public Citizen doesn’t get any response from the hospital in your area, consider social action. Start a thread in Lactivism or Finding Your Tribe to encourage others to join you.

Sign the petition today.

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Bench Press Your Baby

April 4th, 2012

 

Finding time to exercise can be so elusive when you’re the mom or dad of a new baby. And yet, the parent of young children is exercising all the time. You don’t need to rush off to a gym or pool or spa to get your workout; it’s available right at home.

The calories I’ve listed are for a weight of 150 pounds. You will burn more calories if you are heavier or less if you are lighter than 150. Follow the link to put in your own weight.

Baby Bench Pressing

British dad and naturopath, Joshua Levitt, developed the Baby Bench Press one day when he came home from work and his wife handed him the baby. He eventually created a workout for new fathers and babies that includes the Baby Bench Press, Tot Squats, Lullaby Lunges and Peek-a Boo Pop-Ups. His book is Baby Barbells, the Dad’s Guide to Fitness and Fathering. 

Calories Burned: 150 in 15 minutes; 600 in an hour.

Wrestling with Your Kids

My kids wrestled a lot with their dad while they were growing up and one of them grew up to be a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor. You can start wrestling when your kids are at any age as long as you are receptive to their skill level. Wrestling is a great way to teach non-verbal communication and cooperation. Family wrestling is not about winning, but about playing. And, it burns mad calories.

Calories Burned: 133 in 15 minutes; 531 in an hour.

Breastfeeding

We all worry about getting our pre-pregnancy weight back and think that we should exercise, but with a new baby that’s easier said than done? Breastfeeding burns a whopping 500 calories a day. Even if you do nothing but breastfeed and continue to eat as you did during pregnancy, you will return to your pre-pregnancy weight when your baby is about 9 or 10 months old. Producing just one ounce of breastmilk burns 20 calories.

Calories burned: 500 a day.

Babywearing

The amount of calories you burn wearing your baby depends on the size of your baby. Carrying small children burns 34 calories in 15 minutes. Backpacking, on the other hand, burns 89 calories in 15 minutes. I’m going to extrapolate that babywearing burns about 50 calories in 15 minutes.

Calories burned: 50 in 15 minutes; 200 in an hour.

Walking, Running or Playing with Children (vigorous): 68 calories in 15 minutes; 272 an hour.

Walking, Running or Playing with Children (moderate): 51 calories in 15 minutes; 204 an hour.

Caring for your Child: 34 calories in 15 minutes; 136  an hour.

Reclining with your Baby: 9 calories in 15 minutes; 34 an hour.

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The Autism Epidemic

April 2nd, 2012

Photo of Timmy and Emmy Conroy of Boulder, Colorado by Julia Vandenoever

Just last week, the CDC announced a new estimate of the number of children identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): 1 in 88. This is up from the CDC’s 2007 estimate of 1 in 150. According to the CDC, the estimated prevalence of ASDs increased 78% from 2002 to 2008.

Five times as many boys as girls are diagnosed with ASD: 1 in 54 for boys; 1 in 252 for girls. According to Mark Blaxill of Safe Minds, the rate of ASD in some states is 1 in 50. Utah, for example has a rate of 1 in 47; New Jersey’s rate is 1 in 49. Autism affects over 100,000 families.

At a press conference on World Autism Awareness Day, Blaxill called for: real community participation; an investigation by the Government Accounting Office (GAO); Congressional hearings; and telling the truth about vaccines and autism.

Vaccines and Autism. While the possible association between childhood vaccines and autism has been categorically denied by many, a 2011 study in the Pace Environmental Law Review identified 83 cases of autism associated with childhood vaccine injury that have been compensated for through the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP). 

Safe Minds,  the non-profit organization founded by parents of autistic children, hopes “to restore health and protect future generations by eradicating the devastation of autism and associated health disorders induced by mercury and other man made toxicants, and to eliminate exposure to mercury in medical products, vaccines, and in the environment.” Their outstanding “white paper,” The Autism Crisis — April 2012 is full of information that they encourage be shared with others:

Call it an Epidemic. The prevalence of autism is rising at about 12% a year. If we don’t find a cause in the next five years, 80,000 children a year will be diagnosed with autism. Safe Minds asks, “Can anyone with a conscience claim this isn’t an epidemic?”

Allocate more money for Autism research and services. Only $230 million is allocated per year for  the 730,000 people with autism in the US. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), for example, allocates $169 million a year for autism (45,454 babies a year); $170 million for pediatric cancer (800 US babies a year); $228 million for pediatric AIDS (13,333 babies a year).

Fund Environmental Research. The largest twin study to date found that autism risk is 55 to 58% environmental and only 37 to 38% genetic. Despite this finding, funding for genetic causation research outweighed funding for environmental causation research approximately six to one in 2009. Safe Minds calls for research into populations that may be more susceptible to vaccine injury.

Compare Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Children. The August 2011 Institute of Medicine report on Vaccine Adverse Effects investigated 158 potential adverse outcomes from vaccines. Of these, 135, or 85%, were found to have inadequate research to accept or reject a causal association. Of the 23 outcomes where the research was deemed adequate, 18, or 78%, were found supportive of harm. Research was only adequate to clear five of the 158 outcomes from vaccine safety concerns.

It is time for a large trial of vaccinated and unvaccinated children to see if there are higher autism rates among vaccinated children than among those who have never been vaccinated.

 

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Michel Odent Conference in Hawaii

March 29th, 2012

If you saw The Business of Being Born, you will well remember the charming French physician, Michel Odent, who spoke eloquently of the connection between our capacity to love and our earliest imprinting. Odent originally became known for his pioneering work at the Pithiviers hospital in France. (1962-1985). He authored the first article in the medical literature about the use of birthing pools. (The Lancet, 1983) and introduced the idea of birthing pools and home-like birthing rooms to maternity units.

Odent is the author of 12 books in 22 languages, including Birth Reborn, The Caesarean, The Functions of the Orgasms, and Childbirth in the Age of Plastics and co-author of five academic texts. He reminds us that, like all animals, we want privacy during birth: a birthing women needs to feel safe and free from dogma. For more of Odent’s writing, see his website Womb Ecology and search the Primal Health Research Databank that he created.

Ina May Gaskin

This fall, Odent is hosting a conference in Hawaii. The Mid-Pacific Conference on Birth and Primal Health Research will be held at the Honolulu Convention Center October 26-28, 2012.; Odent calls this conference The Honolulu Great Wake-Up Call. It follows the 2010 Mid-Atlantic Conference, which attracted 1250 participants from 39 countries. The purpose of this conference is to present an overview of current technical and scientific advances in childbirth and, in response, to ask new questions about its future.

The conference program will bring together an impressive group of speakers, including Michael Stark, MD, considered to be one the most influential surgeons of our time and “father” of a simplified cesarean technique; Kirstin Uvnas-Moberg, MD, professor of physiology at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and author of The Oxytocin Factor; and Susan Wickham, RM, PhD, founder  of Midwives Information and Resource Center (MIDRS) and editor of Essentially MIDRS, a monthly midwifery journal.

Sarah Buckley

Several Mothering contributors and experts will also be presenting: Robbie Davis-Floyd on Birth Across Cultures; Ina May Gaskin (and Michel Odent) on Unusual Routes to Midwifery and Obstetrics; Cathy Daub and Elizabeth Davis on Transcendant Emotional States in Childbirth.

I will participate in a roundtable on Writing about Mothering with Jan Tritten from Midwifery Today and  Sarah Buckley, Australian obstetrician and author of Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering.

The conference is $220. It would be great to see you there.

 

 

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The Great Cloth Diaper Change

March 26th, 2012

Want to help set a world record? Join the Great Cloth Diaper Change. In 2011, Judy Aagard, co-owner of Tiny Tots Diaper Service in Campbell, California, organized the first Great Cloth Diaper Change (GCDC). She wanted to celebrate Earth day with a family event.

Last year, the GCDC set the world record for the most cloth diapers changed simultaneously: 5026. Five countries were involved at 127 locations. To qualify for the cloth diaper record, the Guinness Book of World Records rules stipulate that the baby must be shorter than 39 inches and be accompanied by only one adult for the diaper change.

This year’s Great Cloth Diaper Change will be held April 21st. So far this year, 232 hosts have completed their official registrations for events in 13 countries including: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Estonia, Germany, Ireland, Malaysia, Spain, Switzerland, and USA. How can you get involved?

Find an existing location.

Apply to be a host. The Great Cloth Diaper Change can be a community event where other family activities such as baby yoga, a photo session, family music, diaper donations and/or information tables are available.  Just make sure and choose a space large enough for lots of simultaneous diaper changing!

The Week of April 16 through April 21 will be Real Diaper Week. Look for coverage here on mothering.com. We’d love to publish stories of GCDC events among the Mothering community.

Enter our Cloth Diaper Photo Contest.

Here are some threads in Finding Your Tribe and Diapering that might help to find others interested in co-hosting a GCDC group with you or attending yours.

 

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Three New Vaccine Books

March 23rd, 2012


Vaccine Illusion: How Vaccination Compromises Our Natural Immunity And What We Can Do To Regain Our Health by Tetyana Obukhanych, PhD is unusual in that it is written by an immunologist trained in mainstream biomedical research. Obukhanych was at first enthusiastic about vaccinations and now considers them to be deceptive. Currently, she educates other parents on natural immunity in her local birth community. Chapters include: Natural Immunity to Tetanus — What a Surprise; False Proof of Immunity; Playing Russian Roulette with Flu Shots; and Why Homeopathy is Better than Tylenol.

Available as a Kindle book from Amazon for $9.99.


Vaccine Nation, a thriller by David Lender is another unusual vaccine book in that it is the first vaccine thriller of its kind. Lender has written other thrillers and while Vaccine Nation has all of the sexual stereotypes of this genre, it also does an excellent job of describing the issues parents of  vaccine injured parents are passionate about. It’s the story of a documentary film maker and vaccine advocate who is pursued by a corrupt pharmaceutical company. The book is a page turner; I could not put it down.

This book is available as a Kindle book for $2.99.


Unlocking Jake: The Story of a Rabies Vaccine, Autism & Recovery by Jennifer Hutchinson is a book about Jake, who regressed to autism after receiving a series of rabies vaccines. The book spans five years, during which time Jake begins to recover. Hutchinson is Jake’s grandmother as well as an editor for an educational publisher and a researcher into autism and vaccines.

Unlocking Jake is available as a paperback for $16.95.

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We Need More Midwives

March 21st, 2012

 

Our beloved Ina May Gaskin, midwifery pioneer, was interviewed by Amy Goodman on Democracy Now Monday, March 19th. Ina May is alarmed about the rising rate of maternal and infant mortality in the US. According to the Centers for Disease and Prevention ( CDC ) US infant and maternal mortality failed to improve between 2000 to 2005. This plateau represents the first time since the 1950s that infant mortality has seen no improvement. Ina May started The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project to commemorate the US mothers who have died in childbirth.

WHAT IS A MIDWIFE?

The word midwife comes from the Old English “mit wif,” which literally means with women. A midwife is a health professional who provides care to low-risk women during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. Many midwives also provide primary “well-woman” care. Though they are specialists in low-risk pregnancy and childbirth, midwives are trained to both identify and address high risk situations.

HOW MANY MIDWIVES ARE THERE?

In the US approximately 10,000 midwives attend just 10% of births, or 430,000 a year. If midwives attended 75% of births in the US, as they do in New Zealand—a country with better infant mortality than the US—we would need 75,000 more midwives.

Scientific evidence suggests that women with normal pregnancies should be cared for by midwives. On a global scale, a lack of midwives is a healthcare emergency. According to WHO, UNICEF and other groups, maternal mortality is the “highest health inequity in the world.”

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF US MIDWIVES?

Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM): A registered nurse with two years postgraduate work in caring for pregnant and birthing women in a certified CNM program. Certified by the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB). Most practice in hospital setting.

Certified Midwife (CM): A midwife whose education is through apprenticeship and/or midwifery schools. Certified by the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB). Most practice in hospital setting

Certified Professional Midwife (CPM): A midwife whose education is usually through apprenticeship, midwifery school, training programs, and out of hospital experience. Certified by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM). Most practice in home or birth center setting.

State Licensed Midwives: Twenty-six states in the US license, certify, register or grant permits to midwives. In these states, CPMs must have a state license in addition to their national credential.

ARE MIDWIVES COVERED BY INSURANCE?

Insurers are required by law to cover the services of CNMs and most cover CPMs as well. Most major health insurers contract with birth centers for reimbursement. In addition, midwifery practices and birth centers often offer sliding scales for those who are uninsured or not covered by Medicaid.

A 1998 study at San Diego Birth Center showed that midwife/birth center collaborative care saved parents 21 percent as compared with hospital birth. A study published in 1999 in the Journal of Nurse-Midwifery on the cost effectiveness of home birth revealed that the average, uncompicated vaginal birth costs 68 percent less in a home than in a hospital.

WHAT ARE THE LAWS?

Effectively, one can practice midwifery legally in 39 states; in 12 states one cannot. Twenty-six states license or certify midwives. In nine states, midwifery is legal by judicial interpretation. An additional four states do not regulate, but also do not prohibit midwifery. Nine states plus the District of Columbia actually prohibit midwifery and in another two, midwifery is legal but there is no certification process. The Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) keeps active statistics on the legal status of midwives.

HOW CAN I BECOME A MIDWIFE?

Here are some resources for those who are considering midwifery as a profession:

For an aspiring midwife FAQ, see Midwifery Education Accreditation Council.

For information on Certified Professional Midwives, see The National Association of Certified Professional Midwives.

For information on Certified Midwives and Certified Nurse Midwives, see The American College of Nurse Midwives.

See if your community college offers midwifery education. Southwest Tech in Fennimore, Wisconsin is a model community college midwifery program.

Midwives are the health professional of the future. We need more now!

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Return of the Serpents

March 19th, 2012

 

 

These two snakes were mating on the wood pile in the sunroom all afternoon yesterday. At first I thought it was one snake, but it’s two intertwined. My photo doesn’t capture their sublime mating; they remained intertwined, moving just slightly, for hours. Last year, I saw two snakes outside mating in the shape of an infinity symbol. Seeing them is a harbinger of spring.

The snake, or serpent, is a symbol of wisdom and knowledge in traditional societies. Snakes are associated with the life giving properties of the Great Goddess; in India snakes are worshipped as gods and milk is poured over them. The Gorgons of Greek myth, Medusa for one, were snake-women, whose gaze turned flesh to stone. Quetzalcoatl, the Plumed Serpent, was the Aztec spirit of intelilgence.

Even today, we associate the snake with healing by using the Caduceus to symbolize medicine and the Bowl of Hygieia to symbolize pharmacology.

Years ago I moved out of a house because of the snakes. Now I know that there is no more effective pest control than snakes. And, while I sometimes still jump when I see them, I welcome them now. I welcome their wildness.

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Take Off Your Shoes

March 16th, 2012

 

Simply taking off your shoes before coming inside can reduce indoor pollutants by 85%, according to Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, executive director and CEO of the non-profit, Healthy Child Healthy World (HCHW). I heard Sarnoff speak at a breakfast last week hosted by Nordic Naturals at the Natural Products Expo. HCHW is currently working with Campbells to phase out BPA in their cans and with the FDA to encourage regulation of GMO food.

Sarnoff pointed to the fact that the IQs of children have increased as lead has decreased in the environment. And, while environmental insults can seem overwhelming, HCHP’s message is simple: “Noone can do everything, but everyone can do something.” Taking your shoes off is one of five steps she suggests for getting more healthy:

1. Avoid Pesticides.

2. Use non-toxic products.

3. Clean up indoor air.

4. Eat healthy food.

5. Be wise with plastics.

Here are some resources for taking these steps:

1. Avoiding Pesticides means limiting your exposure to pesticides in several environments. Eating organic food helps eliminate your intake of pesticides in food. Look for alternatives to toxic products used on lawns, to kill bugs and pests, and use fish emulsion instead of chemicals to feed indoor and outdoor plants. Healthy Child Healthy World has some great tips on avoiding pesticides and suggestions for alternatives.

2. Use non-toxic products. A recent study tested over 200 consumer products for endocrine disruptors and asthma-associated chemicals. Many so-called natural products tested high in these chemicals. Here are the 11 products tested that had no detectable target chemicals and some Tips for Greening your Cleaning and Personal Care Products. 

There are simple, effective, and inexpensive cleaners that can be used at home. I use white vinegar for most things. Mixed with water, it’s great to clean windows. I also use it to clean toilets and surface tops. I use Bon Ami cleanser for sinks, Lemon Oil with Bees Wax for oiling furniture and wood surfaces and Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds for dishes and washing the floor. A few drops of Oil of Oregano and/or Tea Tree Oil can be used as antibacterials if needed.

For personal care products, one really has to read the labels. You can put your products into the rating system of EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database to check their level of toxicity.

3. Clean-up Indoor Air is where taking your shoes comes in. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a very detailed Guide to Indoor Air Quality.

4. Eat Healthy Food means eating more organic food. Start some sprouts in a jar in your kitchen. Plant tomatoes in a container outside. Grow a garden. Plant a fruit tree. Shop at the Farmer’s Market. Shop at your local co-op. These are the fruits and vegetables that the Environmental Working Group (EWG) suggests we buy organic as they are the most commonly contaminated: apples, celery, strawberries, peaches, spinach, nectarines, grapes, sweet bell peppers, potatoes, blueberries, lettuce, kale, collard greens. Refer to the EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce.

5. Be Wise with Plastics has to do with becoming aware of our reliance on plastic. I use glass containers with glass lids to store my food in the refigerator. I buy organic milk that comes in glass bottles. I use waxed paper bags instead of plastic to store food, like cheese, in the refrigerator. And, I re-use the plastic bags I get at the grocery story. Stainless steel containers can be a good alternative to plastic, especially for water.

Otherwise, I get confused about plastic. I know, of course, that I want to avoid BPA and phthlates in plastic, but I just try to avoid plastic as much as possible. Here is a Smart Plastics Guide from WHO and the EPA, and a Guide to Safer Children’s Products from the Oregon Environmental Council.

What’s one step you are taking with your family to move in a more natural direction?

 

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    Mothering's long-time editor and publisher, Peggy O'Mara, shares observations and insights about overcoming parenting obstacles, appreciating unacknowledged epiphanies, and taking care of yourself. Also, great food ideas and recipes, as well as beautiful home and garden tips.

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